Graham Land is that portion of the
Antarctic PeninsulaThe Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of the mainland of Antarctica. It extends from a line between Cape Adams and a point on the mainland south of Eklund Islands....
which lies north of a line joining
Cape JeremyCape Jeremy is a cape marking the east side of the north entrance to George VI Sound and the west end of a line dividing Graham Land and Palmer Land. It was discovered by the British Graham Land Expedition , 1934-37, under Rymill, who named it for Jeremy Scott, son of J.M. Scott, who served as...
and
Cape AgassizCape Agassiz is the east tip of Hollick-Kenyon Peninsula, a narrow ice-drowned spur extending east from the main mountain axis of Antarctic Peninsula between Mobiloil Inlet and Revelle Inlet. The cape is the east end of a line from Cape Jeremy dividing Graham Land and Palmer Land. It was...
. This description of Graham Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between the
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
Antarctic Place-names Committee and the
USThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Advisory Committee on Antarctic NamesThe Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names is an advisory committee of the United States Board on Geographic Names responsible for recommending names for features in Antarctica...
, in which the name "Antarctic Peninsula" was approved for the major peninsula of
Antarctica| style="border-top:solid 1px #ccd2d9; padding:0.4em 1em 0.4em 0; vertical-align:top;" | 14,000,000 km
2 280,000 km
2 13,720,000 km
2 |-! style="border-top: solid 1px #ccd2d9; padding: 0.4em 1em 0.4em 0; vertical-align: top;...
, and the names Graham Land and
Palmer LandPalmer Land is that portion of the Antarctic Peninsula which lies south of a line joining Cape Jeremy and Cape Agassiz. This application of Palmer Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between US-ACAN and UK-APC, in which the name Antarctic Peninsula was approved for the major peninsula of...
for the northern and southern portions, respectively.
Graham Land is named after Sir James R. G. Graham, First Lord of the Admiralty at the time of
John BiscoeJohn Biscoe was an English mariner and explorer who commanded the first expedition known to have sighted the areas named Enderby Land and Graham Land along the coast of Antarctica...
's exploration of the west side of Graham Land in 1832. It is part of
British Antarctic TerritoryThe British Antarctic Territory is a sector of Antarctica claimed by the United Kingdom. It is situated in Antarctica from the South Pole to 60°S latitude between longitudes 20°W and 80°W. The Territory was formed on 3rd March 1962, although the UK first claimed this portion of the Antarctic in 1908...
.
Graham Land is the closest part of Antarctica to South America.